Bucks lose regular-season finale to Raptors while resting Giannis, other starters

The Milwaukee Bucks buttoned up the 2022-23 regular season with a 121-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The Bucks finished the season 58-24. They had secured the league’s No.1 overall seed earlier in the week, so should they advance to the finals, the road to an NBA championship will go through Milwaukee.

Toronto finished 41-41 and may yet see the Bucks again in a postseason series as they will participate in the play-in tournament this week.

The Big Three, Brook Lopez sit out

The Bucks shut down several players due to late season injuries and for rest at the end of last week, and many of them did not travel to Canada.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (right knee soreness), Jrue Holiday (rest) and Brook Lopez (rest) were held out, but appear that they will be ready to go for the playoffs once they begin the weekend of April 15.

BOX SCORE: Raptors 121, Bucks 105

Of larger concern is the status of Khris Middleton’s troublesome right knee, which he aggravated against Chicago on Wednesday. He missed 18 straight games managing the injury from Dec. 17-Jan. 21 and missed another eight to prevent playing on back-to-backs after that. Middleton missed the end of the first round and the entire second round of the playoffs last year with a sprained left knee.

Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton are dealing with right ankle sprains. Allen missed the last four games of the regular season while Connaughton missed the last three.

Bucks veterans get their work in vs. Raptors

Bobby Portis got to work early in the game, scoring 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting in just 13 minutes of action in the first half. Jae Crowder (14 minutes) and Jevon Carter (15) also started, with Crowder knocking down 2 three-pointers and Carter handing out three assists.

They began the second half, with Crowder playing 25 minutes and scoring 13 points. Carter topped out at 20 minutes. He knocked down a couple of threes to finish with six points and five assists. Portis added just one more bucket in five minutes of action in third quarter.

Joe Ingles, Wesley Matthews and Goran Dragić also saw court time for the Bucks.

It was just the seventh game of the season Dragić has played since signing with Milwaukee on March 4, and he followed up his 25-minute effort vs. Memphis on Friday with 21 minutes against the Raptors. He scored 14 points on 7 of 12 shooting.

5 numbers

8 Teams in franchise history to win at least 58 games. It is the second time a Mike Budenholzer-coached team has done it.

10 Available players for the Bucks vs. the Raptors. They did not travel their whole team.

20-8 Run by the Raptors late in the first quarter that effectively broke the game open.

6,000 Career points for Portis, reached in the first quarter.

$1,650,000 Bonus money earned by Holiday this season for hitting the thresholds for games and minutes played, rebounds and assists per game, as well as making the all-star team.

Play of the game is Jae Crowder's corner three

The play in itself is not super exciting -- Jae Crowder knocking down an open corner three off a Joe Ingles drive-and-kick. But that's the point. When Crowder is on the floor in the playoffs he'll be expected to find that spot, get set, and be ready for those passes for quick fires and makes.

Video of the game is Thanasis Antetokounmpo's big dunk

The highlights were few and far between for the short-handed Bucks, but Thanasis Antetokounmpo always brings a ferocity -- and he took that to the rim early in the game off a nice pass from Wesley Matthews.

When do the playoffs begin?

The first round of the NBA playoffs begin April 15. The Bucks will be waiting for the results of the play-in tournament, which will conclude April 14.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks drop regular-season finale to Raptors without Big Three